Posts tagged Marlin Jackson
Succeeding in Face of Injuries is Par for Colts Course
Oct 26th
(Brent Smith | Reuters)
Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. It is often said that “NFL” stands for “Not For Long,” and this idea flies in the face of teams who have had sustained success, particularly in the salary cap era. Somehow, someway, the Indianapolis Colts are a team that have found a way to be nearly immune to the forces at play in professional football that exist to make it next to impossible for teams to dominate.
If the Colts are going to continue their success in 2010, it has become clear that they will have to overcome a rash of injuries to key players. In some ways, the task seems insurmountable. The likelihood that the Colts can maintain their record of consecutive 12-win seasons shrinks by the week and by the day. How or why should fans expect the streak to continue, foresee a playoff berth, or have even a shroud of hope that the Colts could actually compete for another chance to play for a world championship?
The reason is pretty easy to locate. Over the last five years the Colts have had to overcome adversity, perform in the face of obvious team weaknesses, and have regularly been considered one of the best teams in the league — and one of the top contenders to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. In all but one of those years they have dealt with the loss of key players for dozens of games. Take a look. More >
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Marlin Jackson Visits Indy for Fight For Life
Aug 3rd
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Marlin Jackson is a class act. Even though he no longer plays in Indianapolis, he returned to the city last weekend in support of his Fight For Life Foundation. Marlin discusses the Foundation’s work with kids, his recent Achilles injury, and the challenge of overcoming three consecutive season-ending injuries in the past three NFL seasons.
God’s speed, Mr. Jackson. Thanks for all you do.
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2009 Game Recap – Week 4: Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts
Jul 24th
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To help pass time this off-season, I’ve reviewed the Colts’ regular season games from 2009. With this second look at how the team played, a few thoughts have occured to me which were not obvious during the initial viewing, and I thought it a good opportunity to rethink some of my previously held opinions of the team I love. So, with your kind indulgence, as I view a game at a time I’ll be sharing my impressions.
Personal Note: This is not, and was never intended to be, an objective, unbiased review of an NFL contest. It is instead a glimpse into the emotional ride experienced by the average Colt fan at game time. My Homerism switch is engaged and turned up to eleven. With that in mind, I invite you to join me as we re-live the highs and lows of the 2009 Indianapolis Colts season.
Today’s Game: Week 4 – Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts
Setting The Stage
- The Colts come into today’s game unbeaten, and with a record of 3-0, leading the AFC South. Seneca Wallace replaces the injured Matt Hasselbeck to lead the Seahawks in the attempt to even their record at 2-2. Raheem Brock starts in place of Dwight Freeney, who injured a quad late in last week’s game against Arizona. Freeney does play, but in a limited role. Gary Brackett is still out as is Kelvin Hayden, so Freddie Keiaho and Tim Jennings start. Mike Pollak starts at right guard and, like last week, alternates series with Kyle DeVan. Coach Jim Caldwell paces the sideline (funny, but I don’t remember Tony Dungy ever pacing). Edgerrin James, who joined Seattle in 2009, makes his return to Indy and is greeted by applause from the crowd, and smiles and handshakes from former teammates. James, who was drafted by the Colts in 1999, still holds the franchise record in rushing yardage with 9226 (over Mitchell, Faulk, and Dickerson).
- The Crowd: A sell out, of course, but they seem a bit more subdued than normal. They do give Edge a nice hand whenever he touches the ball and a standing ovation during a fourth-quarter tribute.
- The Field: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana. The retractable roof is open, and banners hang proudly, with minimal shadows on a partly-cloudy, mid-fifties kind of day.
CBS Sports
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2009 Game Recap – Week 3: Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals
Jul 21st
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To help pass time this off-season, I’ve reviewed the Colts’ regular season games from 2009. With this second look at how the team played, a few thoughts have occured to me which were not obvious during the initial viewing, and I thought it a good opportunity to rethink some of my previously held opinions of the team I love. So, with your kind indulgence, as I view a game at a time I’ll be sharing my impressions.
Personal Note: This is not, and was never intended to be, an objective, unbiased review of an NFL contest. It is instead a glimpse into the emotional ride experienced by the average Colt fan at game time. My Homerism switch is engaged and turned up to eleven. With that in mind, I invite you to join me as we re-live the highs and lows of the 2009 Indianapolis Colts season.
Today’s Game: Week 3 – Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals
Setting The Stage
- Six days after the defensive marathon that was Indianapolis at Miami, the Colts travel across the country to Arizona to face the Cardinals on Sunday night. Arizona enters the game 1-1 after beating Jacksonville; a game in which QB Kurt Warner completed 24 of 26 passes to set a new NFL record for completion percentage. Tonight marks only the second time Warner and Peyton Manning have faced each other. Kelvin Hayden and Gary Bracket are both out due to injuries. Freddie Keiaho and Jordan Senn rotate in for Brackett and get quite a bit of playing time late in the game. Jerraud Powers is back after missing last week. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who complained about Mike Pollak’s play against Miami. Although he starts the game at RG,, Kyle Devan (added to the roster during the week) replaces him for the second offensive series. They seem to be alternating Pollak and Devan each series.
- The crowd: Loud early on, but boy do they turn on their team when things start going badly. By the end, there’s more applause for the Colts than for the Cards, and more than a few boos.
- The field: The Cardinals play at University of Phoenix stadium with its roll-away, real-grass field. Pretty cool in that they roll the field out into the open air during the day and back in for games.
CBS Sports
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2010 State of the Colts Franchise: Defense
Jul 5th
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In the second part of the Colts “State of the Franchise” series we will take a look at the defensive side of the ball, position-by-position. Then fans can speculate about which positions might need more work with potential free agents before training camp and preseason play begins.
Defensive Tackle:
US Presswire | Getty Images | AP Photo
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Colts Rookie TE Eldridge Makes Positive First Impression
Jun 28th
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If one thing has proved true about the Colts it is that getting information out of the team about players, particularly when it is not required, is a rarity. Additionally, when the team sings a young player’s praises early on, the outcome tends to prove them out.
Last year, Austin Collie earned early support from the team with a strong work ethic and promising future. He went on to be the most productive rookie wide receiver in the NFL. Rookie cornerback Jerraud Powers was lauded for his uncharacteristic maturity and attention to details. He earned a starting spot that he kept throughout the entire season, when healthy. Other young players, while not in their rookie seasons, who sparked attention from Colts front office ended up playing important roles in the team’s success. These players include Pierre Garçon in 2009, Eric Foster in 2008, Melvin Bullitt in 2008, Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden in 2007, and so on.
After participating in the Colts organized team activities (OTAs) Brody Eldridge has been called a “diamond in the rough.” Pro Football Weekly reports that an unnamed source with the Colts organization stated, “He was really impressive in the OTAs. For a big guy, he is really athletic and showed a lot as a receiver. If teams forget about him, he could be a factor.”
Sue Ogrocki | Associated Press Photo
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Colts Mini-Camp Roster Predictions: Defense
Jun 6th
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The other side of the ball for the Colts promises to be even more interesting as the summer plays out. The number of familiar faces out the team’s defensive depth is incredibly thin. New players will have to step up to replace names like Freddie Keiaho, Tyjuan Hagler, Marlin Jackson, Tim Jennings, and Raheem Brock.
US Presswire | Getty Images | AP Photo
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Colts Mini-Camp Roster Predictions: What We Have Lost
Jun 4th
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While there is a lot of turmoil surrounding the Colts this summer, with contract disputes and issues to handle, it is getting closer to that time when Colts management will go into serious evaluation of the players on the roster and begin to cut down to more manageable sizes. The key cut dates are still months away, and will likely be in early September, but the time to really evaluate the talent and begin making those decisions begins with some of the workouts players will run through during this weekend’s mini-camp.
Raheem Brock takes down a scrambling Matt Cassell | Jim Davis Boston Globe Photo
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Marlin Jackson’s Season Over
Jun 3rd
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It did not take long for recently departed, former Colts corner back Marlin Jackson to find his way back to the sidelines with another season-ending major injury. The National Post reports that Jackson suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during one of the Philadelphia Eagles organized team activities. This injury, and the resulting time Jackson will miss, makes the move to let Jackson go look like the smart one, and could result in an abrupt end to Jackson’s career. It’s unfortunate that he has had such horrible injury luck over the last three seasons as the start of his career was promising.
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2010 Colts: Is the Defense Better or Worse?
May 17th
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The ultimate goal during the off-season for any NFL franchise is to improve the team. There are many ways to evaluate whether a team improves or takes a step backward, the most common of which is only possible at the end of each season; record and playoff run. For the Colts, improving on the 2009 version of the team by this measure is only possible if Indianapolis brings home its second Lombardi Trophy.
There is another time that it is worthwhile to consider where a team stands compared to its prior season, the off-season. What is fun about this time is that the evaluation is far more subjective but the ultimate importance of it could have greater implications, it gives fans a reason to be excited about the coming season or a reason to temper expectations.
Paul Sancya | AP Photo
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